New
technology made public in the spring of 2013 showed that many
properties in Dare County seemed to have been mistakenly classified as
at risk for flood damage. Residents and county officials were hoping
for quick action from the federal government, but delays have pushed
back the release date of new preliminary floodplain maps at least 18
months.

According to Willo Kelly, government affairs director for the Outer
Banks Association of Realtors, the potential savings to Dare County are
huge if the preliminary findings are confirmed.

“Eighty percent of Dare County will be coming out of the flood zone or be reclassified,” she said.

She went on to note that the opposite is also true. “If you don’t have
to pay that money to the insurance company, that’s disposable income.”

Using LIDAR technology that calculates distance by targeting the ground
with a laser and analyzing the reflected light, FEMA hoped to produce
the most accurate floodplain maps possible. Although approved maps have
not yet been issued, early indications are that the new technology is
far more accurate.

However, delays have occurred in the process. The state is creating the
maps with a grant from FEMA to the North Carolina Flood Mapping Program
(NCFMP).

The process is time consuming and complex beginning with the release of
a preliminary map, followed by a 90-day public comment period, a review
of the public comments, and release of a final map. Typically it takes
approximately 18 months from the release of the preliminary map to a
final map to be used for insurance purposes.

Preliminary maps for Dare County were originally scheduled to be
released in late 2014. The date was then moved back to this month.

That deadline will not be met, and, according to Donna Creef, Dare
County planning director, the latest estimate from the state moves the
release date back a couple of months.

“That is when the state told us the (preliminary) maps will be ready, in late December or early January 2016,” she said.

Randy Mundt, community development planner for the NCFMP, is hesitant to agree with that timetable.

“I’m not sure the winter is correct,” he said.

The difficulty, according to Mundt, is how intricate the steps to a final map are.

“This is a very complex process,” he said. “There are so many factors.
Terrain is one of the factors. Of course, that is one of the most
important factors, but there are numerous iterations that must also be
submitted.”

The state mapping program must adhere to FEMA guidelines, and the final
say on when maps are released is contingent on the federal agency’s say
so. “We’re doing this based on their (FEMA) standards. When they say
it’s okay to release a map, then we can release it,” Mundt said.

There have been some maps released. New Hanover County received its
preliminary maps in June, but to date none of the counties on the Outer
Banks has seen new floodplain maps.

“We’re very frustrated,” Kelly said. “The savings to people are in the hundreds, if not thousands,of dollars.”